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Gold Dollar (the ones marked 'Sharpened') edge crumbles away

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
I did not even notice that but you are right, they spelled it Sharpend. Not only on the blades but on the pouch they come in as well as the website, all spelled the same way- wrong :)

Oh well, I have spent more money on other garbage so this will not be the failure that stands out in reviewing my life. In fact, it really is a fairly cheap lesson reinforcing the benefits to paying attention.

Thanks for pointing this out! Maybe these posts will prevent a few people from stepping in the same pile that I did when buying these razors?
I do my very best to keep people from buying counterfeit Gold Dollars. Noobs, always insist on the genuine article! Often imitated, never equaled. Look for the mysterious symbol on every razor, the mystical mark of excellence.
 
Those 'Sharpend' razors are all over Australian Ebay. I don't even bother marking the 'new' box when searching for straights. These (most likely PRSO) make up 90+% of the listings for new straight razors on AUebay. They're like AUD$10-12, so for noobs like me, they seem pretty attractive. Ended up grinding one to death on a cheap 1k stone trying to get a bevel. In the bin it went.

It's not even a counterfeit Gold Dollar. The dropshipper just put 'Gold Dollar' on the item title, probably hoping to get more hits when people try to look for actual Gold Dollars. I recently bought a 10x pack of GD 100s for AUD$68 shipped from Aliexpress (China) after destroying my cheapie Titan trying to straighten the geometry on the spine (yes, I know it's a running theme). Now I can experiment with impunity on a fairly decent razor and it doesn't matter if I end up binning a couple on the way. Btw, that one I opened has a straight spine (passed the tap and wobble test out of the box).

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Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
Those 'Sharpend' razors are all over Australian Ebay. I don't even bother marking the 'new' box when searching for straights. These (most likely PRSO) make up 90+% of the listings for new straight razors on AUebay. They're like AUD$10-12, so for noobs like me, they seem pretty attractive. Ended up grinding one to death on a cheap 1k stone trying to get a bevel. In the bin it went.

It's not even a counterfeit Gold Dollar. The dropshipper just put 'Gold Dollar' on the item title, probably hoping to get more hits when people try to look for actual Gold Dollars. I recently bought a 10x pack of GD 100s for AUD$68 shipped from Aliexpress (China) after destroying my cheapie Titan trying to straighten the geometry on the spine (yes, I know it's a running theme). Now I can experiment with impunity on a fairly decent razor and it doesn't matter if I end up binning a couple on the way. Btw, that one I opened has a straight spine (passed the tap and wobble test out of the box).

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Yeah they are nowhere near as bad as a few years back. Even the 66 sometimes is very cooperative these days. My favorite for a long time was the P81 because I guess it was the first model that was really simple to hone with no drama. That 100 in your pic is a nice example and they are usually like that now, but were seldom like that 10 years ago. Good score on the 10-box. That's a good way to buy them, even if you think you only need one or two. You can always hone and sell two or three and pay for the whole order, and have enough left for a 7-set! Or go nuts with a Dremel and create a work of art for the annual competition. Everyone destroys a couple the first time up. It's all part of the fun.
 
Those 'Sharpend' razors are all over Australian Ebay. I don't even bother marking the 'new' box when searching for straights. These (most likely PRSO) make up 90+% of the listings for new straight razors on AUebay. They're like AUD$10-12, so for noobs like me, they seem pretty attractive. Ended up grinding one to death on a cheap 1k stone trying to get a bevel. In the bin it went.

It's not even a counterfeit Gold Dollar. The dropshipper just put 'Gold Dollar' on the item title, probably hoping to get more hits when people try to look for actual Gold Dollars. I recently bought a 10x pack of GD 100s for AUD$68 shipped from Aliexpress (China) after destroying my cheapie Titan trying to straighten the geometry on the spine (yes, I know it's a running theme). Now I can experiment with impunity on a fairly decent razor and it doesn't matter if I end up binning a couple on the way. Btw, that one I opened has a straight spine (passed the tap and wobble test out of the box).

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This is what I bought, albeit as a single unit and without the slipcase. In retrospect, I should have bought a set and just used them as training tools. Did you get the stainless steel or carbon steel? Looks like some corrosion on the shoulder there, so I assume the latter.
 
This is what I bought, albeit as a single unit and without the slipcase. In retrospect, I should have bought a set and just used them as training tools. Did you get the stainless steel or carbon steel? Looks like some corrosion on the shoulder there, so I assume the latter.
No idea. I think the lower models are all carbon steel. The 100 model had nicer scales and only $4 more than the 10 pack of 66's.
 
No idea. I think the lower models are all carbon steel. The 100 model had nicer scales and only $4 more than the 10 pack of 66's.

As Slash McCoy mentioned in the previous page, the 100s can be in carbon or stainless. They're typically advertised as one or the other, but otherwise there are no indicators or marking on the razor or box as to which one they are.

Totally agree on the 100 having nicer scales, but after receiving mine in hand, it's quite marginal. They're not terrible but they are plasticky. Not sure if you had the same sense. If I had been smart like you, I would have had more to play around with, and once I got 1-2 honed (and modified) to where I'm happy, I would re-scale.
 
I'm sure the Ningbo crew will be working hard to protect their "intellectual" property. $5 razor being knocked off? I wonder if they will change the gold dollar mod competition to the sharpend mod competition. Lol.
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
As Slash McCoy mentioned in the previous page, the 100s can be in carbon or stainless. They're typically advertised as one or the other, but otherwise there are no indicators or marking on the razor or box as to which one they are.

Totally agree on the 100 having nicer scales, but after receiving mine in hand, it's quite marginal. They're not terrible but they are plasticky. Not sure if you had the same sense. If I had been smart like you, I would have had more to play around with, and once I got 1-2 honed (and modified) to where I'm happy, I would re-scale.
New shoes on a 66 is maybe a waste of time and money, if you are looking for appearance, but yeah new scales on any of the X00 razors is a fine idea. The ABS scales are pretty cheesy. A 100 looks nice in bone or horn.

The bad news is it is pretty hard to tell whether a 100 is SS or carbon. The good news is it is pretty hard to tell whether a 100 is SS or carbon. IOW, it doesn't really matter. A reseller on alibaba or fleabay will cheerfully pay the half buck less for carbon and list it as SS. If you want SS, get them straight from the factory via alibaba.

Martensitic stainless steels WILL rust, if given the perfect opportunity. They just do so with less vigor than carbon steel. In the case of the GD, there isn't all that much difference between the steels in honeability or edge keeping. Actual testing of stainless Gold Dollars reveals IIRC 14% chromium but no nickel to speak of. That should be enough for some additional hardness from the Cr, but I guess that the hardenability is a bit less than high carbon, so not much net gain in hardness. Anyway I don't notice the difference when honing them. The 900 is a bit harder as it is from a different alloy, but they are overpriced and I hate the scales.
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
I'm sure the Ningbo crew will be working hard to protect their "intellectual" property. $5 razor being knocked off? I wonder if they will change the gold dollar mod competition to the sharpend mod competition. Lol.
Hahaha! Well, I think not being able to actually get good shaves from a modified Sharp End would make it a not very interesting competition. Part of the thrill of the GD comp is you start with a razor in the single digit price range and end up with a great shaver that is also a work of art.

I would contact CiCi at the factory about it except I am a bit irritated with them still over a botched shipment early last year, and I am sure they are aware of it by now anyway. Alibaba of course could care less about western concepts like trademark infringement. Fleabay is only marginally better.
 
Not sure if this is a honing or a razor problem but let me assume it is my honing and so I think this is where this thread goes :)

Picked up my first Jnat and have pushed a few razors over it, all vintage, one Boker King Cutter, one Boker Red Injun and one Red Imp 133. The Red Injun turned out with a decent shaving edge although I would not use it ATG. The Red Imp is looks and feels excellent and will readily tree- top (have not shaved with it yet).

I picked up three new Gold Dollars, and these are new- to- me models, etched 'Sharpened' on the face of the blade (the first fib.....). After grinding a bunch of steel off the spine and edge, there is reasonable geometry on all three razors. But a funny thing is happening in that all three razors are having a section of the edge break off before the full 'V' is set. In other words, the bevel is being honed but the very edge is breaking off, though only in very specific spots on each razor. ?? I have tried a Naniwa 1000, an Atoma 1200, 3 micron lapping film and even a heavy slurry on the Jnat out of desperation. Always the same problem, sometimes very subtle and sometimes very obvious but always there. The patches where this is happening are always in the same place although that place and its size very among the razors. Always near but not at, the toe and the length varies between about 3/8" wide to almost half the blade and the patches are in different places and different sizes on each side of each razor.

I am perfectly comfortable with the idea that I simply cannot hone but again, I have had somewhat consistent success with vintage razors and OK success with a new Thiers Issard, and the fact that it is in specific areas on each razor lead me to wonder if the steel is defective, a large grained steel (a lousy choice for anything needing a strong, fine edge) or it was improperly tempered. Gold Dollars always seem to be harder than the average razor although the T.I. was pretty hard also. Has anyone experienced this? Is it the razors, my poor technique or perhaps a combination where other, softer razors are more forgiving of being a bit too rough?

Any input that is useful or at least humorous is appreciated.

Brian
Sir - your not alone!!
I actually learned on Gold dollar razors and they are a valuable asset to learning to hone, but out of probably 35-40 I have had 3 give me the same problem you are talking about.. Matter of fact I just chucked one in the trash bin..The apex just crumbles, I mean like chunks popping out as large a half the width of the bevel.. I am stubborn as He**, but sometimes it ain't the Indian it's sometimes the faulty arrow, or you can't run marathon on a broken leg, you can't take (let me say it without cussing) chicken poop and make chicken soup, lol...... If the heat treat is bad then no matter how good you are or how much experience you have or how bad you try or want to make it happen it will not happen, period...I always use a Shapton 500 as a pre-bevel setter on Gold dollars and I 99% of the time have a straight crisp bevel at 10x magnification with this stone, but out of the 35-40 ( I really don't know the exact number of GD's, I have honed) razors I have had the same problem.. It's definitely QC issues, because as I said 99% of the time I have a straight crisp bevel with the exact same stone (SG-500) the same magnification and the same steel from the same factory in China, meaning I never add any variables to my sequence when honing GD's... If you have honed many many successful edges from a Gold dollars (and I have) and one is giving you this particular trouble we are talking about, then it's a fact it's a faulty razor. BTW - the 3 that gave the the same trouble all were the higher-ups or more refined models Gold dollars, non of them were the 66's... All the 66's I have honed have all taken an edge
IT makes a fellow want to quit, and I do, I throw them out, I ain't wasting my stone a faulty
steel.. No wander 'most people' who hone for hire will not take or fool with taking in any of these razors..... Anyways - IMO the reason why they are a good learning razor is because the are riddled with warps geometry issues and you can actually coax a Gold dollar into a very fine shaver, if you power through, it will learn you how to troubleshoot and fix geometry issues and make it a good shaver, but when you run into one like what we are talking about just chuck it, it ain't worth it, because it robs your confidence especially if you are new to honing.. enough said....
 
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Steve56

Ask me about shaving naked!
Words of wisdom Mike!

The main reason that pro honers won’t take a Gold Dollar is that many of them take too much time to hone from the factory state. They also wear your stones fast getting them into shape, particularly the edges of the stones. If someone sends you a wonky one, you’re basically screwed, you’ll lose money - and if you do a good job, when it’s dull, then they’ll want to send it back for re-honing! Talk about a lose-lose situation.

Skilled labor and good tools bring $40 - $60 an hour or more. If you ask $40-80 (1-2 hours) to hone a Gold Dollar, that isn‘t a good business model for $5 razors.

Many people have honed Gold Dollars for the new people over the years, all of them are ‘retired’ now except brother Slash. Honing Gold Dollars is a labor of love, not money.
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
Words of wisdom Mike!

The main reason that pro honers won’t take a Gold Dollar is that many of them take too much time to hone from the factory state. They also wear your stones fast getting them into shape, particularly the edges of the stones. If someone sends you a wonky one, you’re basically screwed, you’ll lose money - and if you do a good job, when it’s dull, then they’ll want to send it back for re-honing! Talk about a lose-lose situation.

Skilled labor and good tools bring $40 - $60 an hour or more. If you ask $40-80 (1-2 hours) to hone a Gold Dollar, that isn‘t a good business model for $5 razors.

Many people have honed Gold Dollars for the new people over the years, all of them are ‘retired’ now except brother Slash. Honing Gold Dollars is a labor of love, not money.
And I must add, that I am on indefinite vacation. Not honing, not selling, maybe piffing at christmas but that's it. However there is UK ebayer Jacky Walsh. Not even close to a Method edge, but you can certainly shave with his edge. I tried one of his. Worth the coin, if you aren't a honer. Here in the good ol' USA someone else should take up the torch for a while. Mrs. McCoy keeps me too busy and she says my time is too valuable for messing about with GD razors. Which is kinda your point.

But another reason many pros won't hone a GD is they simply scorn the brand. Some hate and fear it because they sell nicer razors, new and restored vintage. Some are thinking that GD razors are still basket cases when you get them, like they were in years past, or that the customer will be angry because it won't hold an edge or something. Many feel quite strongly about that.
 
I used to hone a gold dollar in 6 minutes from factory edge. I used to shorten the toe and heel very slightly with a dremel to get the entire edge without too much lifting. But for every minute you spend honing you spend 5 minutes answering pms and printing labels etc. And of course the "I can't believe the razor rusted, it was only laying in the sink soaking wet for one night" and the "I dropped it on its toe and it broke, only dropped it one time". And something about having a wife three kids a full time business 2 dogs and a cat. Lol.
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
I used to hone a gold dollar in 6 minutes from factory edge. I used to shorten the toe and heel very slightly with a dremel to get the entire edge without too much lifting. But for every minute you spend honing you spend 5 minutes answering pms and printing labels etc. And of course the "I can't believe the razor rusted, it was only laying in the sink soaking wet for one night" and the "I dropped it on its toe and it broke, only dropped it one time". And something about having a wife three kids a full time business 2 dogs and a cat. Lol.
So if you would just get rid of the cat, you should be good to go. I will be watching for your fleabay listings.
 
So if you would just get rid of the cat, you should be good to go. I will be watching for your fleabay listings.
My cat "Bob" is a good boy. He's not too much trouble for me. But he does bring up the wildlife's adrenaline level. Birds, mice opossums and anything else that's passing by. He does earn his keep which is more than most around here. But that's another story for another day. Lol.
 
the best thing about the GD SR is the lovely noise they make when you drop them in the garbage tin..

there is nothing wrong with you, there is this GD cult, they are worst then the illuminati, they are out there preaching... tempting innocent people to buy GD and spend countless hours honing them :popc: they do it for the kicks :cuppa: beware :hand:

i documented my experience with the GD. it does work. but imo ... why bother?
 

David

B&B’s Champion Corn Shucker
Gold dollars have their place in this hobby, especially for people that are wanting to dip their toes in SR shaving. I wouldn't recommend a GD for a new honer as they can be difficult to hone for newbies, but buying one that's truly shave ready from one of the few guys that are still offering them is a good way to test the waters. It's been a while since I've honed a new one, but from memory, including heel correction, I'd say 20-25 minutes start to finish. You have to get aggressive with them in the early stages to sort out the grinding issues, after that it's just another carbon steel razor.
 

Steve56

Ask me about shaving naked!
@David is right. I use them for test razors - where else are you going to get multiple SR that are the same, and that you can throw rocks at (lol) without regard to razor price?

That ssid, here are your chances IME, buy 12:

- 3-4 (4 if you’re lucky) will hone up right away, no problem
- 5-6 will take a good bit of work, IOW corrective honing, especially at the heel
- 2 or 3 just aren’t worth the trouble

If you’re OK with those odds, more or less, go for it.

BTW, if you have a nice one, the biggest improvement that you can make is decent scales. Put a good one in good scales and you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference between it and any other 13/16 half hollow, finish notwithstanding.
 
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